Tide of modernity floods censors

Singapore Press Holdings' (SPH) newspaper monopoly may also be broken up with the launch of a new independent daily tabloid.

"Things are starting to loosen up," said Bruce Gale, regional manager of the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy. "It is not that Singapore is becoming wildly democratic, but there is a kind of pluralism that didn't exist 10 years ago."

The proposed new newspaper would be launched by Swedish media giant Modern Times Group in conjunction with local rail operator Singapore Mass Rapid Transit.

It would be a serious tabloid distributed to commuters free. SPH, notorious for towing the government line, currently owns all 12 newspapers published in the republic including its flagship, the Straits Times.

The government has just a minority stake in SPH, but direct control of all local television and radio media.

Its leaders have long argued that censorship is vital for maintaining social and racial harmony. But enforcing it was becoming increasingly hard.

The recent rapid introduction of cable television and the Internet has opened Singaporeans to a host of alternative opinions and viewpoints from abroad over which the authorities have struggled to assert control.

Shortly before recently stepping down as information minister in a cabinet reshuffle, George Yeo publicly bemoaned: "Censorship is becoming more and more difficult to impose."

His successor, Lee Yock Suan, yesterday announced plans for the first major censorship review in 10 years.

"Times have changed and we are all bombarded by all these new forms of media. Values have changed, people are now much more exposed," said the minister, speaking on state-controlled Channel News Asia.

Critics have often accused the city-state's government of being excessively paternalistic with strict controls on sex and violence in films and music.

But to its credit, its leaders have recently shown a new willingness to change as Singapore strives to become a cosmopolitan city.

While Singapore regularly scores exceptionally well in most categories in international competitiveness surveys, it has traditionally faired poorly on the media front.

A sign of the censors' easing attitudes was seen when conservatives within the Film Censorship Board were recently shouted down in a debate over whether to change the title of Warner Brothers' latest Austin Powers movie The Spy Who Shagged Me.

There were unsuccessful calls to change it, to switch the word shagged with shioked, "Singlish" slang for nice or kind.

A few years ago, the conservative viewpoint would have won.

On-screen nudity is also now allowed, though only from behind and it must be artistic and non-gratuitous.